I have always been very strong academically, and I know this strength came from my family. It is crazy to think where I would be today without the influence of my parents. I know that I would not be at all like the strong, driven individual that I am now. They have driven me, given support, and helped me every step of the way. They are my motivation, and without them, I would not be where I am today academically.
I am motivated in part because both of my parents were at the top of their classes. I always knew that they would be proud of me no matter where I placed in class rank, but I wanted to follow in their footsteps. My mom was salutatorian of her graduating class and my dad was ranked third. I wanted to be like them, at the top of my class. This drove me, starting in middle school, and in sixth grade at my National Junior Honor Society induction, it was announced that I was first in my class. From this point on, I strove to be at the top of my class. My secret goal was to beat my parents. Though this did not happen and I graduated salutatorian, just like my mom, the competition and need to please my parents drove me all through high school and caused me to rank so high.
Class rank was not the only way I wanted to follow in my mom’s footsteps. She is a teacher, and I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a teacher just like her. While other little girls were playing house, my favorite game was school. My brother, who is two years younger than me, was my “student” in countless fake classrooms when we were kids. My favorite thing to do was correct his work, drawing big, loopy correct marks on everything, just as I watched my mom do on her students’ papers. This desire to become a teacher was not just a childhood fantasy that I would grow out of. Today, I still want to be a teacher, just like my mom.
It may seem that I have always wanted to be just like my parents, but that is not the only way they have influenced me academically. One of my biggest fears is disappointing my parents. Yes, their standards for me are high, but somehow I have always set the standards even higher for myself. I would rather work extremely hard to surpass their expectations than to fall short of what they expect of me. When I was young, they may have expected a lot, but as I grew older, they saw that I could put the pressure on myself without them adding to it. Still, I feel that I put this academic pressure on myself because of them. I do not want to disappoint them, and I know that when I excel, they are proud. I live to make them proud. The drive they have given me has turned into academic excellence.
Though they do put a lot of pressure on me, my parents also support me when I need it. They can tell in an instant when I am stressed and when everything has just become too much for me. Without them there to keep me sane during long nights of homework or the stress of AP tests, I could not possibly have made it through high school. My junior and senior years were especially stressful for me. Even with all of this stress, my parents were my rock, and I could lean on them no matter how stressed school made me. When I was up late doing homework and so tired I wanted to give up, they would help me, console me, and push me to keep working no matter what. I would push on, as much for them as for myself. Without them, I would have given up countless times. Because of them, I did not and I excelled because I kept pushing even when I was stressed.
My parents have been the biggest influence on my academic success. I have always tried to be like them in many academic aspects. They drive me but keep me sane. More than anything, I want to make them proud, and I have always done that primarily through my success in school. This is what pushed me so hard all through high school and will continue to push me through college and beyond.
EDC102H
Non-School Academic Influences
I have always been very strong academically, and I know this strength came from my family. It is crazy to think where I would be today without the influence of my parents. I know that I would not be at all like the strong, driven individual that I am now. They have driven me, given support, and helped me every step of the way. They are my motivation, and without them, I would not be where I am today academically.
I am motivated in part because both of my parents were at the top of their classes. I always knew that they would be proud of me no matter where I placed in class rank, but I wanted to follow in their footsteps. My mom was salutatorian of her graduating class and my dad was ranked third. I wanted to be like them, at the top of my class. This drove me, starting in middle school, and in sixth grade at my National Junior Honor Society induction, it was announced that I was first in my class. From this point on, I strove to be at the top of my class. My secret goal was to beat my parents. Though this did not happen and I graduated salutatorian, just like my mom, the competition and need to please my parents drove me all through high school and caused me to rank so high.
Class rank was not the only way I wanted to follow in my mom’s footsteps. She is a teacher, and I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a teacher just like her. While other little girls were playing house, my favorite game was school. My brother, who is two years younger than me, was my “student” in countless fake classrooms when we were kids. My favorite thing to do was correct his work, drawing big, loopy correct marks on everything, just as I watched my mom do on her students’ papers. This desire to become a teacher was not just a childhood fantasy that I would grow out of. Today, I still want to be a teacher, just like my mom.
It may seem that I have always wanted to be just like my parents, but that is not the only way they have influenced me academically. One of my biggest fears is disappointing my parents. Yes, their standards for me are high, but somehow I have always set the standards even higher for myself. I would rather work extremely hard to surpass their expectations than to fall short of what they expect of me. When I was young, they may have expected a lot, but as I grew older, they saw that I could put the pressure on myself without them adding to it. Still, I feel that I put this academic pressure on myself because of them. I do not want to disappoint them, and I know that when I excel, they are proud. I live to make them proud. The drive they have given me has turned into academic excellence.
Though they do put a lot of pressure on me, my parents also support me when I need it. They can tell in an instant when I am stressed and when everything has just become too much for me. Without them there to keep me sane during long nights of homework or the stress of AP tests, I could not possibly have made it through high school. My junior and senior years were especially stressful for me. Even with all of this stress, my parents were my rock, and I could lean on them no matter how stressed school made me. When I was up late doing homework and so tired I wanted to give up, they would help me, console me, and push me to keep working no matter what. I would push on, as much for them as for myself. Without them, I would have given up countless times. Because of them, I did not and I excelled because I kept pushing even when I was stressed.
My parents have been the biggest influence on my academic success. I have always tried to be like them in many academic aspects. They drive me but keep me sane. More than anything, I want to make them proud, and I have always done that primarily through my success in school. This is what pushed me so hard all through high school and will continue to push me through college and beyond.